PASAY CITY—Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano launched a scathing attack against Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian on June 8, claiming that a political divide has effectively split the upper chamber into two distinct institutions. 

Speaking at a press conference, Cayetano accused Gatchalian of usurping authority by acting as the Senate President without proper mandate, driven by a stubborn refusal to back down. 

“Nag uusurp ng authority si Senator Win because he is not really the acting [Senate] President. Apparently, because ayaw niya pumayag, dalawa ang Senado natin ngayon. You have the Senate of the Philippines and you have the Senate of Malacañang,” SP Cayetano declared. 

The veteran lawmaker took his criticism a step further by targeting the chamber's powerful investigative body, asserting that the split has created two conflicting Blue Ribbon committees. 

Cayetano sharply contrasted the two, describing one as a genuine truth-seeking body and labeling the other as a "committee de abswelto" explicitly designed to clearing high-ranking government officials of wrongdoing. 

“You have two Blue Ribbon committees: ’Yung isa ay committee de abswelto na ang kaniyang main work is paano iabswelto ’yung mga high official ng bansa, at ’yung isa na seeking the truth,” Cayetano said. 

He warned that this internal rift directly undermines the independence of the legislature's primary anti-graft committee.

Cayetano challenged the public to confront what he characterized as a dangerous subversion of democracy and legislative independence. 

He framed the current political standoff as a critical turning point for the country, questioning whether citizens are willing to tolerate executive overreach. 

“As a nation, we have to decide, if the Senate will be under the thumb of Malacañang, if it is acceptable to us na we witnessed the biggest cover-up committee hearing of our generation.” Senate President Cayetano urged.

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